Monthly Archives: November 2016

Over the last few decades, most of the world has adopted an economic policy that emphasizes global trade, privatization and austerity. As a consequence, more people have become impoverished, more have lost their homes and rely on food banks, more people livie on the streets, and there’s more unemployment and employment insecurity. Over the same period, most polite circles didn’t discuss politics. While more wealth was concentrated into fewer hands, our social safeguards were stripped and our public institutions privatized, there was…..

Right now, people’s nerves are so frayed. People are scared. What’s going to happen? There’s climate change — what natural disaster will we see next? There are safety concerns, especially for women and minorities, and there’s the ongoing grinding poverty that so many deal with day after arduous day. Maybe it’s time to admit that no one has all the answers, and that we need to listen and reflect and try to find a path forward together to a place where…..

Mulling over the recent Trump election, I’d like to share a personal story that gives me insight into how he was elected. Both of my parents grew up in extreme poverty — my Mom during the depression in Vancouver and my Dad in occupied Holland during World War II. I’ve seen first hand what extreme poverty does. My parents were broken people. What I experienced growing up as the oldest of three kids and only daughter would warrant a trigger warning…..

As a Canadian, the election of the new president by our neighbours to the south is dominating my thoughts. Harassment of women, minorities and LGBTQ people the day after the election is agonizing to watch, as is seeing the people he’s appointed to key positions. I have a better understanding now of how people in the UK feel about Brexit. The scariest part for me is that I’ve been watching a global trend for decades that puts more and more people into poverty. International…..